KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Guests were kicked out of the Champions World Resort on U.S. 192 as the hotel closed abruptly Thursday and workers were turned away on Friday.


What You Need To Know

  • Champions World Resort forces guests to leave Thursday

  • More than 20 employees were not allowed to report to work Friday

  • One employee says she was told the hotel is shutting down

  • The old and new owners could not be reached by Spectrum News 13

Many of those guests had to scramble to find a new place to stay and are still waiting for refunds.

On Friday, more than 20 employees were not allowed inside the hotel and instead stuck around across the street, to collect their final paychecks. 

Minerva Varela Mondragon is a mother of four who did laundry service at the hotel for five years. She said she was told the property was bought by someone else and the new owner was closing down the hotel.

“If someone was going to buy the hotel, they should have given us at least two weeks… to look for another job,” she said in Spanish. “I am in shock.” 

Experience Kissimmee set up a website where workers that have been displaced by the abrupt closure of Champions World Resort can provide contact details. This info will be provided to area hotels that are seeking workers. 

Spectrum News 13 attempted to reach out to new ownership but was not allowed on property by security. Attempts to contact the former owner of the Champions World Resort at several different phone numbers were unsuccessful. Security on site said the new owner plans to turn the property into a multifamily apartment complex.